Bonds
by Hinata HyuUchiha
Summary: One part of them says 'hero'. The other part says 'human'. And relationships make heroes human. And the Teen Titans are no exception. Lots of friendships between members of the Teen Titans. RxS BBxT RxR BBxS CxR CxT RxT CxS BBxR RxBB CxBB RxC SxR RxT SxT
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Curiosity (Robin x Starfire)  
"Now, Starfire!" Robin shouted and the alien swung with all her might. Robin swung his legs with her movement and his feet hit the approaching robots full-force, sending them flying into the air.  
"We have to make a run for it!" Cyborg shouted and together, the 5 titans dashed out of the warehouse before it burst into flames behind them.  
"Close call," Beast Boy said as they watched the burning building.  
All except Robin.  
Starfire saw that his eyes were on a robot that was thrown out of the building as the explosion occurred. His eyes narrowed at the orange and black face as the body sizzled and emitted blue sparks.  
The alien felt her heart sink as she heard Robin mutter a word under his breath – a word she hoped she wouldn't have to hear anymore.  
"Slade…"  
And just as she expected, Robin immediately went to his room after they had arrived back at the Tower.  
Newspaper clippings, notes and pictures were pinned on his wall and his desk displayed a similar sight.  
Robin sat on the chair, moving notes and pictures off his table and pulled out the picture of the robot he took in front of the burning warehouse and threw it in the middle of his desk.  
The robot had an orange and black mask on him, an exact copy of Slade's mask. But what was it that Slade was after?  
What were the robots doing in the warehouse?  
What did Slade want from him?  
The boy wonder compared the picture with the actual mask he brought with himself but they were absolutely identical.  
Robin's eyes shifted to the ground around the fallen minion but there was nothing unusual to find. He tried to remember as much of the interior of the warehouse as possible but there wasn't much to remember. Except for shelves of construction cargo that was due for shipping, there wasn't much to find.  
His eyes wandered over to his bulletin board and his eyes rested on a particular headline about a theft in Wayne Enterprises several months ago. His eyes narrowed before they wandered over to the next headline that mentioned an earthquake all around the city, destroying large parts of it and endangering hundreds of people.  
All because of Slade.  
But why?  
What exactly did he want?  
An apprentice?  
Conquering Jump City?  
"Who are you, Slade?" Robin murmured before he rested his head in his hands as he tried desperately to find the answer to his question.  
There was a knocking on his door but Robin was too absorbed in his quest for answers to care about it.  
"Robin?"  
It was Starfire.  
"I'm working. I'll join you guys later."  
There was a short silence before Starfire gently opened the door.  
He turned to face her. "I told you I'm busy, Starfire!"  
She glanced at the floor. "B-but it has been quite some time that you have done the locking up of yourself in your room," she murmured.  
He frowned at her, making her take a step back. "I need time to think. I have to find out what Slade's planning!"  
She looked worriedly at him. "Don't you at least want to do some resting? You do look exhausted. I have made some-"  
"I told you to leave, Starfire!" he shouted angrily, causing her to flinch.  
Her eyes dropped before she turned away. "I am sorry…if I have bothered you."  
Robin watched from the corner of his eyes as she floated away.  
"How could I have thought to help you when all I know…is that he only makes you wonder about him? I should have known that it is better to leave you alone to your unresolved thoughts about your nemesis."  
Starfire floated out of the door and Robin's head turned towards it after he failed to get his concentration back – even though he wouldn't find any answers even with his concentration intact.  
Robin clenched his teeth, realizing that it was just as Starfire said – the only thing that he found out was that he was still left in the dark…and that his curiosity with the villain only increased, the more questions he had.  
And he was sure that Slade secretly enjoyed Robin pondering about him, something that at times, bordered on obsession.  
"I will never rest. And neither will you!"  
Slade's voice echoed inside his head as images of his hallucination from some months ago flashed before his eyes.  
It wasn't just the illusion.  
He had been haunted by Slade from the first day he heard of him!  
Images of a tearful Starfire faced him as he had grabbed her arm and shouted at her after she apparently let Slade pass her.  
His eyes dropped to the floor in sadness.  
And whenever he thought about Slade he hurt his friends.  
He glanced at the photograph on his table but no clue was there, no matter how hard he tried to force one to appear.  
Meanwhile Starfire was in the kitchen looking after her traditional dish she made since they were running low on earthly food products as Cyborg had already almost emptied the fridge 2 days ago when he decided to recreate an 'all-you-can-eat-buffet'.  
The bright pink stew bubbled wildly on the hot stove and Starfire managed a small smile. Her stew was almost done.  
"What's that smell?" Cyborg asked as he entered the kitchen and Starfire grinned, hearing that her tester had arrived.  
"Smells like my dirty laundry from last week," Beast Boy said, before Starfire could say anything.  
"The one that's still on the floor of your room?" Raven asked the green teen who shot her a dirty look before she entered the kitchen - only to walk out as fast as she smelled her 'lunch'.  
Beast Boy and Cyborg followed after they took a peek at the unnatural bright color of the contents in the pot, leaving Starfire distraught. "I guess I have to eat my lunch alone again," the alien murmured sadly.  
"What do you call this?" a voice said and Starfire looked up to see Robin standing over her pot, watching the stew bubble quietly.  
"Do you not want to continue your search for Slade?" she asked confused.  
"Slade's not the only thing I'm curious about," the leader replied and the alien smiled.  
"It is traditional Tamaranian lunch that gives my people feelings of well-being."  
Robin smiled unwillingly at her – he already felt it when he saw her happy face.  
"Would you like some of the 'Blorkfa'?"  
"Huh? You mean right now?" Robin asked nervously. "Don't you want to wait until the others come?"  
He saw that Starfire had already filled a spoon with the still bubbling and pink stew before she nodded vehemently. "Does nodding your head mean that you will wait or-"  
The spoon quickly flew into his mouth while he was talking and Starfire looked confused as his face turned blue before it got a greenish tint to it.  
"What does the change of color indicate, Robin? Are these signs of affection and liking towards the dish I made?" Starfire asked, before Robin started choking as he tried desperately to swallow the bitter dish that tasted more like spoiled milk than an exotic energizer.  
Starfire tilted her head in confusion. "Is it to your liking? I do not understand what you mean by making these strange sounds."  
Robin shakily gave her a thumbs-up, trying hard not to bring the food back up. And suddenly Starfire threw herself around him in a bone-crushing hug, threatening the boy wonder to hurl.  
But her smile erased the nausea he had. He really did feel happy. "And…what do your people say if they liked your dish?"  
She blinked before she blushed, causing confusion on Robin's part this time. "Thank you!"  
"But that's English!"  
"I think that…it is more appropriate in this situation," she said, secretly thanking him for making her feel better.  
"But next time you have to tell me."  
She nodded.  
"Thank you!" Robin said, thanking her secretly for helping him out of his obsession.  
And he wondered if Starfire knew of a particular saying.  
If 'curiosity killed the cat'…then what would have happened to Robin if Starfire chose not to interrupt his confusing thoughts?  
That…they had to find out another time…


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Fun (Beast Boy x Terra)  
It was late at night when certain heroes arrived at the tower after having taken care of Mumbo, even though a little mishap on a titan's part almost caused him to escape.  
And it would have been no surprise that it would have been Beast Boy…but recently there was someone else causing the others to get in trouble.  
But there was no argument since everyone felt too tired and silently went into their respective rooms.  
Silence spread over the heroes' home as they joined their city in well-deserved sleep. That was until a door slid open and a certain shape-shifter made his way towards the common room, in search of something that could make him fall back asleep.  
Somehow the scuffle with Mumbo left him…edgy and no matter how many times he turned or how many sheep he counted…he couldn't get any sleep.  
He opened the fridge, the light spreading over his face and he squeezed his eyes shut, regretting even thinking of this.  
Suddenly he made out the sounds of buttons being pressed in rapid succession and he turned his head toward the noise.  
"Cy? Still trying to beat my high score?" Beast Boy teased, even though his voice still sounded tired.  
The button mashing stopped and Beast Boy reluctantly opened his eyes and made out a figure in front of a bright computer screen before the figure closed the laptop, leaving the common room in darkness again.  
"Beast Boy? What are you doing here this late?" a girl's voice asked in confusion.  
"Terra?" he said surprised, not having expected to see her up this late. "I could ask you the same thing."  
"I…couldn't sleep," she replied in low voice and the shape-shifter remembered that the mishap with Mumbo was indirectly Terra's fault.  
"Same with me. And chatting lets you pass the time?"  
The blonde-haired girl looked in confusion. "Oh…I guess you can say that," she murmured and removed the headphones that were connected to her cassette player.  
"And since we're in the same boat…"  
She heard him approach and when she turned to face him something flew into her hands – a gamepad controller. "What do I have to do with this?"  
The TV turned on; spreading a bright light over the sofa they were sitting on before he turned to her and grinned mischievously. "Let's have some fun!"  
Terra saw that he had run a fighting game and waited impatiently for her to choose a character. "But I don't even know how to play this game?" Terra said but saw that the changeling gave her a smug smirk. "That's why your 'master' is here to train with you," he joked and the blonde haired-girl smiled for a moment before her eyes dropped slightly and her expression turned solemn. "Don't tell me you're scared I'll beat you. A 'master' is here to guide his 'apprentice' and fear is a strict taboo for warriors," he said, trying to imitate an Asian accent but horribly failed.  
"But that doesn't mean I won't kick your butt!" Terra retorted heatedly, causing the shape-shifter to flinch from her sudden outburst.  
She also chose her character and they started the game. The winner of the first round was of course, Beast Boy. The winner of the 2nd round was…still Beast Boy, causing Terra to wildly pounce on her controller during the 3 rd game…and with a little more health, Terra managed to beat him and performed a victory dance on the couch.  
"Beginner's luck," the changeling retorted and they went on for a 4th round in which Beast Boy won, causing him to prance around the common room this time.  
"I want a rematch!" Terra demanded and they went for another match that revealed the rock user as the winner.  
Beast Boy managed a small smile as he heard her laughing at the newfound joy that came from humiliating him at the only thing he was probably an expert on.  
At least he managed to take her mind off her 'mistake' back during the fight with Mumbo.  
"So…what was that high score you were talking about?" the blonde-haired girl asked while smirking at him.  
He laughed at her and she looked at him in confusion and slight annoyance. "If you think that you can beat my high score, then you can go just straight to bed since the only time you can beat my skills is in your dreams."  
"Oh, you mean the skills that caused you to lose twice against me?"  
"Just as I said…beginner's luck."  
"We'll see about that," she retorted and chose 'Survival Mode'.  
And she found herself smiling as she heard Beast Boy give instructions on how to beat tougher opponents or simply cheering on for her in between his belittling comments on how 'she'll never be a worthy apprentice if she kept going like that' which only caused her to try more frantically.  
She didn't know why but she hated whenever he called her his 'apprentice' and tried desperately to make him stop calling her that…by beating his high score.  
This resulted in Terra trying for what seemed like more than an hour to fight her way through the infinite mass of opponents.  
Being so caught up in their game…they didn't notice the 3 pairs of eyes that watched them from afar.  
"Do you think they noticed us?" the leader asked.  
"I don't think they notice anything," Raven replied and she floated over to the two teens and her teammates looked in surprise, seeing that Terra leaned towards the green dog that was curled up on the sofa.  
Robin smiled unwillingly, seeing that the gamepad controller was still in her limp hand. Cyborg turned off the console and the TV. "They could at least be a little quieter when they decide to play a midnight match," the robot replied slightly annoyed…but his annoyance vanished as he heard their quiet snoring.  
They left without another word, finally being able to get some of their much needed sleep…unknown to them that the laptop Terra had been using was still on…  
The memory suddenly vanished when a voice broke in. "Here you go," a woman said and a plate with a pie covered in white cream was placed on the counter.  
Beast Boy managed a small smile at that memory before he lifted his fork and dug it into the side of his pie, taking also some of the white cream.  
Another memory played in front of him and he murmured the words that still stayed with him after all these months.  
"You're my definition of fun…"  
With that sentence, he shoved the piece of cake into his mouth and his eyes turned to sparkling stars. "It's just as good as I remembered it. I guess not all things change," he chuckled before his eyes dropped to the rest of his cake and his laughter suddenly died. And before sadness managed to eliminate the joy of past days, he heard a voice next to him murmur in the same tone.  
"And I didn't lie."  
He turned around and his eyes widened in surprise.  
A blonde-haired girl sat next to him, her eyes eying her cake that was identical to his, absent-mindedly.  
The girl in school uniform smiled weakly before she stole a glance at him and Beast Boy found himself staring at Terra's eyes that sparked with…mischief. He forced himself to look away and saw with shock that she had almost finished her cake.  
How long had she been sitting next to him?  
"And you still are." Beast Boy looked up at those words but Terra's gaze was at her cake again, causing him to drop his gaze as well, seeing that he had barely touched his dessert. "Mind to go for another challenge?" he asked in a low voice as her concentrated face from that night flashed before his eyes.  
He looked up at her to repeat his question but was struck with shock as she was passing him, her plate already empty.  
She stopped in front of the entrance. "I won," she said, unknown to him that a smile appeared on her face before she left the coffee shop.  
He arrived at the Tower late at night and soon found himself too bored to find any sleep. The shape-shifter wandered through the silent hallway as his friends slept soundly in each of their rooms. Beast Boy stopped when he reached the living room. The black screen of the large TV stared back at him and he walked over to the couch before he dropped himself on it.  
"I guess it's just me then," he murmured, sad that Cyborg was apparently not awake to play with him.  
Beast Boy turned on the Gamestation with his fighting game from that night and chose 'Survival Mode', suddenly wanting to know if Terra had actually beaten him before they fell asleep.  
A list of high scores flashed on the screen and his eyes widened in surprise when he saw that Terra's name was the first on the list. And she had beaten him by 20 points!  
Beast Boy smirked to himself before he pressed 'Start'. "This should be fun." 


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Confusion (Cyborg x Raven)  
"No! Not my 'baby'!"  
But the outburst came too late as a yellow beam of light broke through the black defense and hit the hood of the parked car head-on before anything could be done to stop this.  
Pieces of metal flew around the half-robot as he stared at what used to be the T-Car. "My Car – you just trashed my car!" he cried, realizing that he just recently got it fixed.  
"Oh, come on! It's just a machine. No, let me change that – it's trash!"  
Cyborg fixed his eyes on the smirking villain in front of a fallen Raven who had tried to protect him from the incoming beam.  
"And so are you!" Dr. Light smirked and aimed his glowing arms at him.  
Cyborg's arm retracted to reveal his cyber-cannon and pointed at his enemy, not knowing if his beam was strong enough to shoot through Dr. Light's solar beam.  
His car had been totaled after all.  
"You have already lost, Cyborg! Just give up…before you'll end up on the dumpster."  
Cyborg glanced around and saw that Robin, Beast Boy and Starfire were either lying beaten on the floor or were trying to 'feel' their way back to their villain as the light had temporarily blinded them.  
"Has he?"  
Cyborg looked towards the voice and realized that Raven slowly got up from her sitting position and floated above Dr. Light who took a step back.  
"You…managed to survive?"  
Raven smirked at the hint of fear in his voice before his arms were bound by dark magic and he began to float until they were on eyelevel.  
The villain pointed his arms at her and Raven narrowed her white eyes at the bright light.  
"I hate light – and you even more!" she snarled before her glowing hands lifted and covered the glows of light from Dr. Light, turning them black.  
"H-how did you-"  
"Give up now…or I let you get another peek under my cloak," Raven said calmly and Dr. Light stared wide-eyed at her.  
"You…wouldn't dare."  
"Try me!"  
Dr. Light paled slightly and let his fear and anger out in one sentence that took Raven by surprise. "You demon!"  
She couldn't contain her rage anymore and her hands shot out a large ray of dark magic, hitting the villain full-force.  
He dropped to the ground and before he could get up, a shadow spread over him.  
Raven floated over the villain and sneered at him. "Let's see what scares you the most," she smirked as her cloak fluttered around her.  
"No! Stop…I'll give up! You won!" Dr. Light shouted in fear, still remembering the things he saw last time he was under that fabric.  
Raven inched closer at hearing the cries before a light from behind got her attention and turned around to see Cyborg shooting his cannon into the sky.  
Cyborg face twisted in fear and worry as he took in her face – when he saw that one of her eyes had glowed red.  
"Rae? Your eye!"  
She gasped, realizing what happened to her and rushed past him, covering the T-Car in dark energy that caused it to float and went homewards.  
Cyborg sighed, realizing that Dr. Light was his business now.  
Raven refused to come out of her room after that incident and Cyborg locked himself inside the garage to see what he could do for his car.  
Robin, Beast Boy and Starfire had slowly begun recovering from the short-lived blindness and made their way to the kitchen, wondering what they could make for lunch.  
And then it hit them!  
Raven dropped from her floating position after her meditation helped her calm down only to hear knocking on her door.  
The half-demon opened the door a crack and her eyes fell to the floor before they looked at the spot in confusion.  
Cyborg was just fixing the broken glass pane of his car's windshield when he also heard knocking.  
Wanting not to be interrupted again, Cyborg opened the door when his eyes spotted something on the floor before his gaze turned to confusion.  
On the floor…was a plate of waffles.  
He picked it up and a small smile appeared on his face before he went to Raven's room.  
And speaking of the devil, Raven was thinking of the same thing and they both met in the hallway, each of them a plate of waffles in their hands.  
"Did you-"  
The question was asked at the same time and both turned silent when they realized that their 'lunch' had been prepared by certain other teammates. "Are you…ok?" Raven asked suddenly and Cyborg looked up from his plate.  
"I should be asking that you."  
"But after he said that…your 'baby' was trash – that you were trash, you seemed…broken," she said in a monotone voice.  
"But you were on the floor and didn't even see me."  
"I'm an Empath, Cyborg. I can feel these things."  
"I'm over it now. It's not something I don't know. I'm more worried about the things that have been bubbling inside you. He called you…a demon. And that's something compared to 'machine'."  
Raven's eyes moved to the floor. 'And demon's don't have feelings…so whatever he says-"  
"But you're also part human! And I saw that look in your eyes when you realized what happened to you."  
Her eyes went up to his face. "And that's why I try to keep them under control. That fight should have told you at least that."  
"But it's ok to have them. Dr. Light forgot that he wasn't just talking to a demon and a robot…but to humans too," Cyborg smiled at her.  
And suddenly Raven remembered certain words spoken by none other than the half-robot in front of her.  
"You fit in just fine."  
So maybe…confusion was a feeling she was supposed to feel?  
"Then…you should understand that I don't believe that you got over his words that fast," Raven replied, pushing her thoughts aside and Cyborg looked at her in confusion.  
And sometimes he wondered what he was – man or machine?  
"No, Rae! I'm fine, really," the half-robot said, waving his hands in front of him.  
She glanced unbelievingly at him before she turned around and floated back into her room.  
Cyborg scratched the back of his head nervously before he strode with a lowered head back to the garage.  
He placed his plate of waffles on a table nearby and opened the hood of his car to see what his engine sustained when he heard swooshing sounds as the garage door opened. But he kept his concentration on the task at hand when he realized that he had been missing something before he could start fixing the car's internals.  
He lifted his head and looked towards the table when he was faced with the half-demon again.  
"Looking for this?" she asked and a manual covered in black energy slipped from beneath the pages of her book that she held in her hands.  
"I've been just looking for it. Where did you find it?"  
And his eyes widened in surprise when he saw that a light blush covered her face before she glanced away. "I was reading it," she mumbled.  
"You…reading a manual…about cars – about the T-Car?" Cyborg cried unbelievably, making Raven stare at him angrily.  
"That wouldn't be the first time I helped you with your 'baby'," she retorted and Cyborg grinned embarrassed.  
"And what's that for?" he asked and pointed to her book clutched in her arms.  
"A spell book. I figured I could get some reading done." A short silence.  
"And if you ever feel not like yourself…this book has some good methods for getting your feelings back together," she added meekly.  
She walked over the table, sat on a chair and reached for a waffle.  
Cyborg went up to her and also took one waffle before he grinned at her. "I think my internals would overload if I ever manage to read, let alone understand one page of your spell books. Besides…I guess I already have one stress reliever," he said before both Raven and Cyborg bit down on their syrup covered waffles.  
Raven stared down at the sweet and smiled internally. Another thing that made them more human. 


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Happiness (Beast Boy x Starfire)  
A certain alien was currently zapping through the hallway of Titan Tower, having been indirectly challenged to a race back to their home after they had defeated Mad Mod.  
And the only one who actually was enthusiastic enough to race all the way from the other side of the city was a certain shape-shifter who chased after Starfire in hawk form.  
The alien suddenly stopped in front of her door, realizing that her mutant pet might be hungry and Beast Boy flew past her before he morphed back.  
"You're disqualified for not flying all the way to the kitchen," he said before he broke out in a huge grin. "And that means that I'm the winner and you'll have to try some of my tofu for dinner," he smirked but Starfire didn't care for earthly vegetarian nutrition.  
She still stared confused at the empty room that faced her.  
Where was Silkie?  
She remembered that he had been napping in her room when the crime alert rang.  
"Anything new from him?"  
She turned around, hearing the worry in Cyborg's voice.  
"No…but I really have an uneasy feeling, seeing Robin so eagerly lock himself up in the evidence room again."  
Raven and Cyborg passed the alien before Raven murmured the next words.  
"But then again…you can never be too careful with Slade."  
Starfire's eyes opened wide, hearing of Robin's arch-nemesis…and that Robin might already be planning to take him out again.  
Even Beast Boy stopped in his tracks and turned around when he heard Starfire gasp. His eyes lowered to the floor as images of Slade in the 'House of Mirrors' flashed in front of him – images of his bestial side emerging after Slade had muttered something he denied to this very day.  
"She never liked you…"  
Images of Terra flashed in front of his eyes and his hands clenched to fists, wondering if Slade tried to get back at Terra for causing his demise.  
He looked back up, forcing his thoughts into the background but saw that Starfire passed him without saying a word, apparently already forgetting about her mutant pet.  
But her lowered gaze suggested she took the news to heart before she disappeared behind the doors of the common room.  
The changeling stared at the closed doors at the end of the hallway, hoping they would open again and Starfire would come floating back in with a smile on her face as she went on about how good they did 'the kicking of the butt' today.  
But the doors remained closed and he sighed.  
The least he could do…was to take her mind off the masked villain.  
And he knew exactly how to do that and morphed into a Labrador. Meanwhile the alien went to the kitchen, trying to still her noisy stomachs – and it wasn't normal for all of her 9 stomachs to start grumbling at the same time. Cyborg shot her a confused and uneasy look from behind the couch. "That sounded like Plasmus with a common cold. Are you ok, Star?" he asked worriedly.  
Starfire tried to hide her blush by cowering in front of the opened fridge. "T-that was just…the gas that leaked from my vocal chords," the red-head replied in a low voice, hoping to have convinced the half-robot that it wasn't something embarrassing.  
"You mean…like a 'burp'?" Starfire flinched behind the fridge, realizing that she only made it worse. "I…believe so."  
Her eyes wandered over the contents and stopped on a yellow bottle.  
But with what to eat her favorite food?  
Her eyes wandered over the contents – spaghetti, eggs, peperoni.  
But nothing appealed to her and with a sigh she took out the mustard and closed the fridge. She decided to just make a mustard sandwich and poured the thick sauce between two slices of bread.  
But her thoughts about Robin wouldn't leave her alone.  
What if Slade did really return?  
What if Robin was already planning to go against him?  
Images of Robin aiming his thermal blaster at her flashed in her mind and her gaze lowered to the floor.  
What if Robin is falling back into Slade's grasp?  
Her eyes wandered over to the half-robot who was watching TV.  
But Cyborg said that Slade didn't appear anymore after Raven had defeated Trigon.  
There was only one way to find out if this was true.  
With a sudden surge of determination and hope, she strode out of the kitchen and through the hallways and stopped in front of the evidence room, hearing the shuffling of feet.  
The extraterrestrial took a deep breath, hoping that her assumptions of Robin were wrong and slowly lifted her hand.  
"Don't you run from me! I give you a home and that's how you repay me?"  
She turned around only to see Silkie crawling hurriedly towards her, followed by an angered Beast Boy.  
"Silke!" Starfire cried happily, her eyes turning to pink hearts and she spread out her arms to hug her beloved pet.  
She was dumbfounded to see that the mutant worm just crawled past her and she fixed her stare on the changeling who stopped in his tracks. "Why is Silkie doing the running from you?" she asked, her eyes narrowed in suspicion.  
"Uh…you're asking the wrong person. I found him in my closet and all of a sudden he started running from me," the changeling explained himself.  
"And do you perhaps know what was his business in your wardrobe?" she asked, crossing her arms over her chest.  
"I'm not a silk worm. How do I know what he was doing in there?"  
Starfire turned back to her pet and floated after her worm and scooped him in her arms.  
"Oh, Silkie! You smell worse than a Tamaranian 'Klurblof'."  
"A what?"  
"What have you been collecting in your closet, Beast Boy?" she cried.  
"Duh, clothes?"  
"Then why does Silkie do 'the smelling horrible'?"  
"I guess…there were one or two clothes due for some washing," Beast Boy mumbled and Starfire shot him an angry look.  
"Then I think it is the time for a nice bath of bubbles," she smiled and flew into the bathroom, leaving Beast Boy standing behind confused.  
"Once she is angry and in the next moment she smiles like nothing happened. Are all aliens like that?" Beast Boy mumbled and turned away before he felt something sliding against his foot.  
He glanced down and saw with surprise that Silkie had attached itself to his shoe and he lifted his foot in annoyance. "What is it now? Still not happy after I had to chase you all around the Tower? Do you hate me that much?"  
Silkie stared back in anticipation and he heard Starfire behind him.  
"I do not believe so. I am quite positive that Silkie misses you."  
"Huh?" Beast Boy turned to her in confusion.  
"Is it not possible that Silkie did the hiding in your closet because he wanted to see you?" she asked and somehow it seemed to make sense to the changeling. "And when he saw that you were angered, he had done the running away?"  
"And how do you know this?"  
"It is the bond of parent and child that brings forth deep understanding and affection."  
"You are not its mother, Star."  
"What makes you think this way?"  
"Because first of all he's a mutant larva and you're not…and second…that would mean that Killer Moth is your husband!" he shouted and Starfire smoked with anger at that comment.  
Killer Moth was a horrible father!  
"A mother and father shower their child with love and care and Killer Moth certainly did no such thing!"  
Starfire smiled at the changeling. "Unlike you, Beast Boy."  
"What? Me?" he asked confused pointing at himself like other people were present in the hallway.  
"You were the one that brought Silkie to a better home – a home where he is loved and not treated like 'the experiments'."  
Beast Boy felt a smile spreading over his face and he took the worm in his arms without it trying to run. "Is that really what you think, little fellow?"  
Silkie just stared back at him.  
"I think he agrees. He knows that you wish for his happiness and that he wants nothing else for you."  
Beast Boy broke out in a huge grin, hearing those words and went with his little silk worm towards the bathroom.  
"Thanks, Star," the shape-shifter mumbled. "I really needed this after-"  
He stopped, seeing that Starfire was still back where she was. She stared at the evidence room before she faced the changeling with a slightly troubled expression. "Do you think…Slade has come back?"  
That question caught him off guard and he wanted to tell her that Slade was gone…but her eyes told him that she wanted an honest answer.  
"I'm not sure where he is or what he's doing…" the changeling said, images of his meeting with the Slade replica flashing in front of his mind. "…but when he really comes back…"  
Starfire remembered the fight on the roof of Wayne Enterprises and she felt her heart sinking, knowing that if Slade managed to get Robin, they were forced to fight him as their enemy.  
"…then we will do anything to stop him!"  
Starfire looked up at Beast Boy and he flashed her an encouraging smile. And she suddenly realized that just like her who refused to give up on Robin, he was the one who brought back their trust in Terra. Beast Boy never lost faith in Terra even after she had attacked them on her own will so why should she lose faith in Robin?  
She smiled at him. "I believe the last person to arrive at the room of the bath has to try some of the victor's preferred dish."  
"What?" he asked confused only to see Starfire already floating past him and he turned around with a smile of his own. "Not if I can do something about this. And you still need to try my tofu!" he called after her before he rushed after her in cheetah form…unknown to them that the door of the evidence room opened and a smiling Robin watched the two joyous Titans sprint through the hallway.  



	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Cover (Robin x Raven)  
"I guess that left him stone cold."  
Cyborg rolled his eyes at Beast Boy's attempt at a funny joke after he had sent Cinderblock onto the ground.  
The changeling approached the stone giant and leaned over to make sure he was really knocked out.  
"Guys. Cinderblock's fossil-"  
The shape-shifter was taken by surprise when the stone hulk sent his huge fists against him, sending him flying.  
When the green teen managed to recover from the blow, he saw himself falling down a large hole that had been previously made by Cinderblock.  
"A…little help?" he cried, realizing that the blow was strong enough to impale his left arm to such an extent that flying was useless.  
Suddenly a black platform appeared under him and he began floating upwards and he smiled, realizing that Raven just saved him from falling.  
He floated above safe ground when all of a sudden the platform disappeared and he landed hard on his behind.  
Cinderblock had slammed his weight against the half-demon from behind and she was currently flying in the same direction that Beast Boy had been headed.  
She fell through the large hole before a wire tied itself around her ankle and went taut. But her smile didn't last for long because she saw a large boulder falling towards her and she shot out her hands, forming a black shield around her.  
The boulder hit her shield and none of the objects received damage but unfortunately it accelerated her speed of fall and she didn't know how deep the hole really was.  
Robin, who was holding onto the rope, trying to pull Raven back up suddenly fell forward due to the sudden increase of weight. "Robin!" Starfire shouted and floated towards the boy wonder only for a metal railing to hit her from behind, sending her against Cyborg who had rushed towards their falling friend from the other side.  
The team leader pulled out an explosive disk and threw it towards the boulder that sent his friend speeding towards the ground somewhere deep below, causing the rock to be blown into pieces.  
Raven's shield disappeared and Robin used one of his bird-a-rangs to attach himself to the jutting rocks.  
His fall was stopped and the wire went taut once again, causing Raven to dangle momentarily in the air.  
Using her black magic, the wire untied itself from her ankle and she floated up to her leader but was struck with confusion when he suddenly turned to her with a panic-stricken face.  
"Raven! Get away!" he shouted before suddenly he fell and slammed forcefully against her.  
She felt the wind blowing around her for a short moment before she couldn't make out anything anymore.  
Eyelids opened slowly and strong pain began to set in.  
"Uh…what…happened?" the leader of the Teen Titans groaned and slowly sat up, holding his head that throbbed with pain.  
He realized that his head was bandaged and that he was back in Titans Tower – in his room.  
"What's your name?"  
He turned to the voice and saw that Beast Boy leaned closely over him. "Knock it off, Beast Boy," Robin said annoyed.  
"Ok, I guess he doesn't have amnesia since he knows who I am. Who is he?" the changeling asked and pointed at Cyborg who gave him an annoyed look.  
"Cyborg, what happened to Cinderblock?" the leader asked, ignoring the shape-shifter.  
"He's behind bars. It was tough without you two but we handled it somehow."  
Robin suddenly pulled the cover away and stood up before Cyborg's metallic hand stopped him from moving any further.  
Robin flinched as his head began spinning from the sudden movement. "Where…is Raven?" The metallic hand pushed the boy wonder back onto the bed and Robin didn't resist, hoping it would ease the headache. "She's…still in her room. Starfire's checking on her though so no worries."  
Robin looked in confusion after hearing the hesitation in Cyborg's voice. "How is she?"  
Beast Boy and Cyborg lowered their eyes and Robin felt apprehensive.  
"I'm not sure."  
Robin frowned at that sentence and jumped from his bed, causing him to stagger for a short moment.  
"Dude! Calm down your horses. She'll wake up any time now," Beast Boy tried to calm their leader, not noticing the angry stare Cyborg shot him for making Robin unnecessarily more nervous.  
"You mean she is-"  
Robin's sentence was interrupted by Starfire's cry that sounded from somewhere in the hallway.  
"Starfire!" the leader shouted worriedly and rushed out of the room, followed by the half-robot and shape-shifter.  
Raven's door stood slightly open and the three boys dashed through.  
"Starfire! Is she-"  
Robin stared in confusion and relief at what he saw.  
Raven stared in annoyance at the boys that had just barged into her room but probably was more irked that Starfire wouldn't let her go as the alien cried rivers of happiness into her shoulder.  
"Starfire…I'm fine! You can let go of me now!" she said monotonously. "It is such a joy to see you the alive and the kicking," Starfire cried, after she finally let go of the half-demon.  
"I guess I wouldn't say that I'm kicking anymore," Raven stated and glanced at her right foot that was currently in a cast.  
Beast Boy laughed at this and Raven shot him a death glare.  
"That wasn't a joke! I can show you why if you don't believe me," Raven said and Beast Boy stepped back, obviously still finding some use for his legs.  
"Why…are you in a cast?" Robin asked, wishing to know of all the details he missed out on.  
"I'm not the one you should ask. I was knocked out…after you told me to stay away."  
Her eyes lowered to the cast and a slight frown appeared on her face.  
Robin turned to the others and the nervousness was written on all of their faces. "Cinderblock managed to throw a boulder after you fell into the hole and when we finally took him out… we saw that both of you were buried under it," Cyborg said and the leader saw that his hands clenched to fists.  
"We will promise not to disappoint you again," Starfire said, her eyes reflecting the guilt she felt.  
"And I think all of this wouldn't have happened if I had been more careful," Beast Boy joined in, his eyes still at his shoes.  
Raven and Robin stared in surprise at the three guilt-stricken teammates.  
Suddenly the crime alert rang through the tower and both Raven and Robin were the first ones to get out of the room.  
But they didn't get far since Cyborg and Starfire blocked their way.  
"Cyborg! We have to leave!" Robin said confused and irritated before he held his head that began spinning again.  
"We're leaving alright! But you two are not."  
"We're fine! What if the enemy is too strong for just the 3 of you?" Raven asked.  
"And what should be done if our enemy manages to inflict more of the pain to you?" Starfire asked this time.  
"So you want to risk your lives for just some minor wounds?" Robin asked.  
"Do you want me to risk all 5 of us instead?" Cyborg asked annoyed.  
"We will have a higher chance of winning."  
"I think you will only be in our way," Cyborg retorted and Robin shot him an angry glare. "Look at you! You trip every 5 steps!"  
Robin's angry expression vanished but was still against their choice.  
"And Raven can't float forever. If she gets hit then she is as useful as a turtle."  
Raven glared at the half-robot. "We're only trying to help."  
"And so are we! How about you both take things easy for once? Let us do the thinking today, ok?" Cyborg smiled at the two uptight Titans.  
And before they could give them their answer the 3 teammates dashed out of the tower.  
Robin's hands clenched to fists and he turned away. Raven glanced at her leader, feeling similar emotions inside her but tried to ignore them.  
The leader made his way back to the room and Raven went to hers not shortly after.  
Raven took a spell book from her shelf and dropped onto her bed before she floated and the pages flipped open.  
How could she have let this happen? An hour passed and Robin slowly woke up and realized that he had been sleeping on his desk after he tried to find out what Cinderblock had been looking for in the museum.  
The leader made his way to the common room, occasionally pausing when he felt dizzy. And he was surprised to see Raven also in the common room. She was sitting cross-legged on the couch, her hood pulled deep into her face.  
He sat next to her and for a moment none of them spoke as the sun began to set.  
"It was my fault!"  
Raven turned to the boy wonder in confusion.  
"I should have come up with a better strategy. Then neither you nor Beast Boy would have been put in danger." Robin's eyes narrowed. And Raven realized how hard it must be for him to sit here while the rest of his team is in danger of losing the battle.  
"No, Robin! I should have been watching my enemy more closely. It was my carelessness that brought us into trouble."  
Robin saw that she turned away from his eyes, unable to see her friends hurt – she almost lost them after all.  
Robin turned away as well, silently scolding himself for even letting Cyborg walk out of the Tower.  
"The only fault I see is that you both cover yourself from us."  
Both teens turned to the voice and were received with the exhausted but smiling faces of Cyborg, Starfire and Beast Boy.  
Robin and Raven cocked their heads in confusion.  
"You should be more trusting," Starfire explained curtly. "What? What makes you think that we don't trust you?" Robin asked annoyed.  
"Terra…" Beast Boy said and both Titans looked in surprise at her name.  
He was right! Both had their doubts about her – Robin mistrusted her ability to control her powers and Raven mistrusted her intentions for even wanting to be a Titan.  
"You might be right with Terra…but you?" "So you would trust us with the Hive?"  
"Yes," both said at the same time.  
"And would you trust Beast Boy with them…alone?" Cyborg asked and Robin and Raven looked at each other unsurely.  
"That's exactly what we mean."  
Both lowered their heads, realizing that Cyborg's words were right.  
They were suspicious and calculating indeed!  
"And what if I tell you that it was Beast Boy who kicked the Hive's butt today?"  
They looked up in surprise and Cyborg, Starfire and Beast Boy walked merrily towards their rooms.  
"I guess you can leave the tough guys to me now," Beast Boy called and Robin and Raven agreed that it was this attitude that made them not to trust him with the tough guys next time.  
"I guess the others are right. Maybe…we are covering ourselves a bit too much," Raven murmured.  
"Maybe we…should open up a bit more…like we did with each other."  
She looked up at Robin's words and images of their bruised leader appeared before her eyes before she entered his mind.  
Robin gave a small smile, images of Raven protecting them from her father flashing across his mind.  
They realized that just as much as they trusted each other, they had to trust their team for them to improve as a whole.  
And they could start by removing their covers once in a while.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Sturdiness (Cyborg x Terra)  
Red lights filled the Tower of certain heroes and 6 teens dashed towards a certain blue and white car.  
4 of them squeezed in the back while the others sat comfortably in the front.  
"Cy, how about you upgrade your car next time to make more room?" Beast Boy said, trying to find some comfort between Terra and the door of the car.  
The blonde-haired girl turned to him. "It's just for a while. Don't tell me a bit lack of space annoys you that much?" she smiled before her arms went around his shoulder and his face turned pink. "Who doesn't like to be squeezed between your two best friends?" she smiled, pulling them a bit closer.  
"Guess who?" Raven said annoyed before she pulled away from her grasp.  
"Do not worry! It is not me," Starfire beamed and hugged the half-demon lovingly.  
"I'm afraid not," Raven replied annoyed.  
"Come on, BB. I'm sure that you'll like this tweak I made instead," Cyborg grinned before he pushed a button that was at the side of the wheel.  
5 teens cried out before they were pushed into their seats as the T-Car suddenly gained a speed boost and zoomed across the street.  
"Cyborg! That was the worst thing you made to your car yet," Raven shouted angrily before she shivered, seeing drops of saliva flying only inches across from her face.  
"Hey, Beast Boy doesn't think like that," Cyborg smirked, seeing the green teen poking his head out of the open window with a hanging tongue.  
"That's Beast Boy! He probably would even like it if you turned him into a robot," Raven retorted.  
"And what about Terra? She's been laughing ever since I pressed that button."  
"I don't hear her laughing."  
Cyborg looked into the rearview mirror.  
"In fact…I don't see her at all," Raven deadpanned.  
The car suddenly lunged forward before it came to a sudden stop, causing the others to tumble forward and Beast Boy to be thrown out of the window.  
"And you tell me that now!?" he shouted.  
"She said she'll be back."  
Cyborg got out of the car before the others followed.  
"You could have at least gone easy on the brakes dude," Beast Boy complained as he got up, rubbing his head.  
"And what do we do while she's…God knows where?" Cyborg asked, unable to spot the girl.  
"Get Plasmus!" Robin shouted and dashed towards the pink monster.  
Plasmus evaded the kick aimed for him and took hold of Robin's foot and swung him against Beast Boy.  
They rolled a few times across the floor before they came to a stop by the T-Car. Starfire and Raven flew up to the monster before it shot down Starfire with its green goo.  
Raven evaded the second attack and countered with a ray of dark magic but the slime monster hid behind several tanks of chemicals before they exploded.  
Raven floated closer and Starfire recovered, coming up behind her.  
Suddenly more goo shot at her and before she could form a shield, she was hit and thrown against Starfire and they fell towards the ground.  
It approached them before Cyborg lifted it and with a mighty swing, sent it to the floor.  
Cyborg activated his sonic-cannon before he had to evade a flying container.  
More and more containers flew towards him and were occasionally blown up or hit away by Robin and Beast Boy.  
Another container flew towards Robin and he ducked only to be shot with more slime and to his surprise he was sticking to the floor.  
Beast Boy hurried up to his leader.  
"No. Just get Plasmus!" Robin shouted before Beast Boy was shot as well, lying on the floor next to him.  
"Too late," Beast Boy mumbled, also covered in the sticky substance.  
Cyborg came up behind Plasmus and shot at it with his cannon before the slime monster did the same, nullifying their attacks. "Let's kick it up a notch!"  
He shot out 2 rockets but Plasmus threw a container towards the weapons, and its contents spilled in the explosion, causing the half-robot to take a step back.  
And that distraction was all it took to take him by surprise.  
A large glob of green shot towards him and Cyborg lifted his arm only for the green substance to cover his cannon, causing it to sizzle as he landed onto the floor.  
Plasmus approached the half-robot…before a boulder slammed against it from the right.  
All looked in the direction the boulder came from and were surprised to see Terra standing not far from them, her hands glowing yellow.  
Plasmus recovered quickly and shot more of the green glob which the rock user evaded.  
Terra floated on a piece of rock, evading another green attack before she lifted her hands.  
Suddenly the wall of the cinema close to them began cracking before it crumbled down onto Plasmus, burying him.  
For a moment nobody spoke as they waited for Plasmus to come emerging out of the pile of concrete.  
But nothing moved.  
Terra's hands lost their glow and she smiled. "I guess I came at the right time."  
And for a short moment Cyborg's anger came back.  
"Where were you?"  
Raven's sudden outburst made him flinch.  
"I-I…was just-"  
"We could have almost lost. It better be something important," the half-demon said and Terra slowly lowered her head before Raven went past her.  
Using her magic she removed some of the sticky substance that stuck to Beast Boy and Robin before she silently went back to the car.  
Cyborg approached the rock user who still looked to the floor. "What were you doing?"  
She bit her lip nervously.  
"Don't worry! I won't tell Raven."  
"I…was trying to watch stars…but there weren't any," she replied in a low voice. Cyborg looked in surprise before she turned away and went to the parked car.  
The ride back to the Tower was painfully silent and even Beast Boy knew not to crack any jokes about how Terra 'rocked'.  
When they arrived, Terra was the first to exit the car followed by Raven and when Starfire moved to get up, Cyborg stopped her.  
"Guys! Can you do me a favor?"  
3 pairs of eyes looked on in surprise.  
Terra was in the common room, zapping through the TV channels with lack of interest.  
"Hey, Terra! Wanna play some midnight match?" Beast Boy asked her after he dropped himself casually onto the couch.  
"Oh, not really."  
His smile faded when seeing her stand up.  
Starfire floated close to her face. "Then wouldn't you rather like some of my Tamaranian dinner?" she asked, holding up a spoon with yellow sauce dripping from it.  
"Not hungry."  
"Isn't that just mustard?" Beast Boy wondered, pointing to Starfire's spoon and she gave him an angry look.  
"Do you want to see something?"  
Robin's voice made her stop for a short moment.  
"What?"  
Meanwhile Raven exited her room in search for something to drink.  
And Terra's room came into her view.  
The half-demon approached the open door and saw with surprise that Cyborg was pacing back and forth. "Cyborg?"  
He jumped from his skin when he heard her voice. "Raven? What are you doing here?"  
"Shouldn't Terra be asking that you?"  
"After you guys…had that argument, she seemed pretty down and I asked her where she had been."  
"And?" Raven raised an eyebrow.  
"And it wasn't something important – at least not to us. But that was not something you had to get worked up about."  
"Ok. Maybe I shouldn't have been so angry at her. But what does that have to do with you?"  
She saw a smile on his face.  
Terra was facing Jump City as a gentle breeze blew across the rooftop of Titan Tower. "So what exactly did you want to show me?" she asked, staring expectantly into the night.  
"Watch for stars."  
She turned to him and he saw that her sad expression returned. "I've…had enough of star-gazing tonight," she murmured and turned away, walking back towards her room.  
"Way to go, Robin," Beast Boy said, causing the leader to shoot him a deadly glare before they dashed after the girl.  
"Terra, wait!" Robin called after her, trying to stop her from entering her room.  
The door slid open and she stepped inside before she gasped in surprise.  
"I can't believe it!" she murmured and looked around her room.  
Dots of white light glowed on the ceiling of her dark room and she felt a smile forming on her lips. "They…look just like stars!"  
"I figured that since you like to sleep under stars and couldn't spot any today, I just built some for you. Now you can sleep under stars every night." She turned around and saw Cyborg standing by her door with a smile on his face before Terra lunged herself at him with open arms. "Thanks, Cyborg!" she mumbled into him.  
"And I guess it wasn't as unimportant as I thought it was," Raven murmured before she floated down the hallway, leaving Terra staring after her in surprise.  
"I guess that's her way of saying 'I'm sorry'." Cyborg said before Terra let him go. "If you need anything I'll be in the kitchen cooking up some dinner."  
"And this time I'll win," Terra smirked, remembering how she lost on her last eating contest with Cyborg, ending up with a sick stomach.  
"My stomach's made out of metal. Nothing can beat it!"  
"Well, too bad that rock will this time win out."  
"We'll see about that."  
Terra glanced at the ceiling.  
"So you're coming?" Cyborg asked.  
"Go ahead. I'll catch up to you," he heard her say.  
"Take all the time you need," he smiled before he turned away.  
"Cyborg!"  
His thoughts flew out of the window when hearing Raven's shout. "What?"  
"I told you turn down that music," she said annoyed as they were driving through the night.  
His eyes turned away from the figure that stood in the distance and he turned off the music. He glanced into the rearview mirror and saw that the blonde-haired girl still looked into the sky.  
A smile formed on her face before he saw her turn in his direction.  
And he realized that Terra was as sturdy as rock just as he was as strong as metal - because she would wait…until the next stars appear to make her nights a bit brighter. And he knew tonight was one of those nights.  



End file.
